According to Plan
by Beyond The Horizon
Summary: Kyle and Kenny are on their way to the arcade to meet Stan when a flying projectile flies through the air and seriously injures one of them to the point of death. Unfortunately, it isn't Kenny. Kenny/Kyle, mentioned Stan/Wendy


It was one shitty day in South Park.

The winds howled, sending chills down my back and the grey clouds loomed overhead, hiding the sun from our town. Not that the weather had been all that amazing in the past few days but it would've been nice to awaken from a six hour to sleep and be greeted by the warm sunlight pouring in from your bedroom window.

The bench I was sitting wasn't particularly comfortable, not to mention it felt like my ass was frozen in place. I brought my hands to my mouth and blew into them. I quickly rubbed them together in the faint hope that I would generate some heat. My red headed friend next to me gave me a questioning look. "It's just the winds. I think I should've taken my gloves." I said through chattering teeth.

Kyle gave a comforting smile. "I don't blame you, dude. It's **supposed** to be spring. You're **supposed** to be expecting warmer weather." He reached into his pockets and pulled out a pair of forest green gloves. "You can have this pair. My mom gave me some on my way out but I forgot that I had this pair in my pocket."

"No way, I'm not accepting your charity. I may be poor but I have my dignity." I said. I pulled my orange hood over my head and let it sit loosely, framing my blonde head. "Besides, you might realize that your gloves aren't warm enough and decide to switch."

Kyle rolled his eyes and grasped my hands. "You're being such a baby, Kenny. We both know that you need these gloves and I'm not going to sit here and let my friend freeze his fingers off." Before I could say another word, he forced the gloves onto my hands. "If you take them off and try to give them back, I will be highly offended and we won't be friends anymore." He gave me his award winning smile, his 'victory' smile. The smile he displayed when he won the science fair in grade six, when he built a home generator that created electricity out of objects that started with the letter 'P' in grade nine and when he received the award for having the highest mark in grade eleven Law class last year.

I looked down at my now warm hands. I knew I couldn't return them to him now, not after he played the 'friend' card. He and I both knew that whenever he said those words, I couldn't do anything about it. I viewed Kyle as one of my best friends in the whole world and even though I knew he was joking, there was always a part of me that feared that one day I would lose him. I couldn't risk our friendship for anything. "Thanks, Kyle."

"You're welcome." He said warmly. We sat on the bench in silence for a few moments, watching the residents of South Park walk in front of us. Birds started to chirp and a distant dog started to bark at a nearby cat. The park was so peaceful and it was soothing to just sit down and enjoy being alive, especially for someone like me. I uncrossed my legs and stood up. I must've stood up too fast because I winced in pain as legs cramped up. I stomped the ground for a few seconds, attempting to re-awaken my foot which had fallen asleep. Kyle was laughing at my feeble attempts, attracting the looks of a few people passing. "Dude, you look like high or something. Stomping at the ground with a frustrated look on your face? People will think you're mad at the Earth for enforcing gravity." He stood up slowly, as if to say 'See, this is how it's done.', and gave me a slight nudge. "Come on; let's start walking to the arcade. We were supposed to meet Stan five minutes ago."

I shrugged and started to walk at a somewhat slow pace. "It doesn't matter when we get to the arcade. I doubt Stan will have the balls to yell at us if we're late." Kyle adjusted his green hat over his ears and nodded in agreement. A few more minutes of silence passed as we followed the scenic path through the park. I took a deep breath and decided it would be best if I broke the ice. "So…how's the whole crush thing going?" While I was a horny bisexual, Kyle was straight as a ruler. Over the years, he had tried to follow Stan's example in grade four and try to find himself a girlfriend. Unfortunately, he hadn't had that much luck with the ladies. _'How do you do it?' he would ask me. 'You hook up with a new girl every three days. Why can't I have your luck?'_ _ I would only smile in response, keeping my methods a secret._ What I never told him was how much of a crush I had on him, correction: **have** on him.

Ever since grade seven when he and I were partnered up for a magnetism project, I couldn't stop thinking about him. I know what you're thinking: 'It's Kenny we're talking about; of course he'd be attracted to Kyle. He's a horny bastard and a bisexual. He'd want to fuck anything that moves.' That's where you'd be wrong; I didn't fall in love with his looks. If I had, I would've tried to sleep with him when we first met. No, Stan was Kyle's best friend since Kindergarten, not me. In fact, I didn't really get to know Kyle all that well until grade six when Stan joined, like, twenty sports teams and didn't have any free time for his friends. Stan and I were probably the closest out of my circle of friends from Kindergarten to grade six. He would try and juggle his two friends and invite us over at different times to play. The only problem was that Stan became a little scatter minded and sometimes double booked us on the same day. On those days, I would arrive at Stan's house only to find Kyle there instead. Stan's sports games always went on longer than he said they would and Kyle and I would end up sitting alone his house for an hour and a half before Stan finally got home and realized his mistake. In the beginning, Kyle and I almost never spoke. We would sit there awkwardly for ninety minutes, watching television, while we waited for our friend to get back. As more and more of these double booked days occurred, we started to really hit it off. We spoke more often and we started to see each other, without Stan, occasionally after school. The magnetism project was what really sealed my feelings for him. I got to see the side of him that only Stan saw. He encouraged me to finish the project and we ended up joking around and laughing by the end of each work session. We managed to pull off an 'A' together. It was the first time I had ever gotten an 'A'. While Stan continued his jock lifestyle, I took advantage of having Kyle to myself. By the end of grade nine, our friendship was on par with his and Stan's and if you think about it, it's a pretty fucking big accomplishment. For the past year, however, our friendship suddenly took a turn for the worst. Without warning, Kyle started to hang out with Stan more. Whenever I called to arrange something, eight times out of ten he was 'busy'. It wasn't fucking fair. We didn't get into any fights so why did he avoid me? He still claimed we were best friends but in my heart, I knew that our friendship had become second rate to his and Stan's, just like in grade four.

I lost myself in my own thoughts and I accidently tripped on a slightly raised part of the stone path. I jerked forwards, starting my descent to the cold ground. In a split second, Kyle reached out and grabbed the back of my hoodie, preventing me from hitting the ground. "Dude, you okay? You better watch where you're going. I can't keep watching out for you all the time." He laughed and pulled me back up. I felt a faint blush rush to my cheeks. Damn him for being straight. Damn me for being attracted to that fucking ginger. As I steadied myself and reassured him that I was fine, we continued to walk. "You didn't hear my response, did you?" It took me a moment to realize that I had actually asked him a question a minute ago but had spaced out. I quickly apologized and urged him to answer again. He gave a soft chuckle and scratched the back of his head. "Well, I did some thinking and I don't think that Bebe and I will work out." _Of course it wouldn't work out._ I thought. _She's a whore. I would know since I slept with her on more than one occasion. She wouldn't pay any attention to your conversations and she'd only focus on sleeping with the next guy to compliment her. Sure, her rack was beyond comparison but she didn't deserve you. You need someone who will actually give a fuck about your thoughts and personality._ _God Kyle, for someone so smart, why do you act so fucking thick? _Kyle looked at his feet as we walked past a couple making out under a maple tree. He sighed and turned his head towards my direction. "What about you? Ran out of girls to sleep with?"

I coughed and brushed my messy blonde hair out of my eyes. "Yeah, but I always have my choice of guys too."

Kyle stopped walking and walked over to a nearby tree. "Would you mind if we stopped for a second? I need to tell you something."

I raised an eyebrow and I walked over to him. "What is it, Kyle? If there's someone who's screwing around with you, I swear to god…"

He looked at me with round eyes and gave a nervous laugh. "No, no. Nothing like that, Ken." He bit his lip and ran his left hand through his red hair. "I…"

"HEADS UP!" Kyle and I both turned around to see a baseball sailing through the air. The ball was heading straight towards me. The speed it was going was ridiculous; I knew that I wouldn't survive this. _Here it comes,_ I told myself_. Here's your death for the day. All according to plan…_ I squeezed my ocean blue eyes shut, waiting for the projectile to slam into my face. I waited for the all too familiar, 'out of body' experience that I got every time my life ended. I heard a loud **THUD** and something wet splashed my arm. I waited for the pain to come. Nothing. I opened my eyes and widened them in shock. Kyle had stood in front of the baseball. A giant gash formed on the side of Kyle's head. He wobbled side to side as if he were a puppet, awaiting the puppet master's commands. He managed to turn his head to face me.

His jade eyes met my sapphire ones. His eyes started to glaze over as if he was starting to space out. Blood started to seep out of the side of his head, onto the grass beneath us. "Kenny…" He whispered before his knees buckled and he fell down onto the ground in front of me. I wanted to throw up. I wanted to puke like Stan did when Wendy tried to kiss him. Seeing my friend like this was revolting. I picked up Kyle, bridal style, and ran. I ran past all the people shouting at me and I ran past the stores that lined South Park's central district. Tears were already starting to form in my eyes. _Don't worry, Kyle. It's just a scratch. You'll be fine. _I don't know how fast or how long it took me to get to the hospital but I burst through the doors and ran up to the desk. "My friend….please, help him." I managed to choke out, a lump had formed in my throat and it was so difficult to speak. The lady at the desk saw Kyle and alerted the medics. I quickly answered the information questions and turned my attention back to Kyle. As I pressed Kyle closer to my chest, the lady started saying instructions to me. I didn't listen to her. The only thing that I was paying attention to was the feeling of Kyle's slowing heart against my rapid-paced one. A team of medics came through the doors and pried Kyle away from me. I was screaming at them to hurry and save him. One medic actually had to stay behind in order to prevent me from rushing into the ER room myself. I struggled against his firm grasp, tears staining my cheeks. _Why did he stand in the way? I died every day and I always come back. Why didn't he do everything according to plan?_ The medic was quietly whispering comforting words as I continued to make a scene in the lobby, attracting a lot of questioning looks and glares from its other occupants. I didn't fucking care what they thought. The medic asked me if I wanted anything as he walked to the hospital cafeteria. I shook my head and sat in my chair, gripping the arms. "Kyle." I answered coarsely. "I want Kyle."

After what seemed to be forever, the nurse finally entered the room and walked over to me. I stared at her with my dull blue eyes and waited for her to speak. "You can visit your friend now. He's in room 12F. To be honest, we're not sure if he's going to make it. He's suffered severe skull damage…" I bolted out of the room and ran into 12F. I froze in the doorway.

Kyle. My red headed friend now sported gauze and a single bandage that wrapped around his head. I felt that sick feeling again as I slowly approached him. He had an IV fluid packet beside him as well as a heart monitor that seemed to be a little 'off'. I walked around the bed and sat down beside him. Hot, new tears started to form in my already bloodshot eyes_. Kyle…_I grasped his hand. The same nurse walked into the room and cleared her throat to get my attention. She was a pretty blonde woman in her late twenties with boobs that would make Bebe envious. _Fuck her_, I thought. The nurse came over and put a hand on my back. I was far too tired to shake it off. "I called Mr. Broflovski's parents. They also told me to notify Stanley Marsh as well. While I understand that this is your friend, you must leave the room when this boy's parents arrive. You and Stanley can wait in the lobby until Mr. Broflovski's parents finish." I glared at her as she left the room. _Fuck Stan, Fuck Kyle's parents._ My tears fell off my cheek and onto his hand. _I will never leave your side. I will be here when you wake up._

"Kenny…" A voice drifted through my mind. It seemed so distant but familiar. I could only see darkness. Suddenly, my vision started to clear up as though a fogged up window was bring wiped clean. I saw a figure in front of me. A head of red hair and green eyes came into focus. _Kyle…_ I walked towards him, my feet felt as though they were tied to cement blocks. As I neared, I realized that Kyle looked different. He was shorter and his features were more child-like. I looked around the room and saw that I was in Kyle's house.

"Kyle, what happened?" I asked but what came out of my mouth was: "Mmmph mmphat mmphatm?" I looked down and realized that my hood was scrunched around my mouth, creating my muffled voice. I hadn't worn my hood like that since…_grade_ _seven_. I took a step back in realization and ran to Kyle's bathroom. As I entered the flowery wallpaper bathroom, I ran to the mirror and I looked in wonder at my youthful looking face. My hood was scrunched up and all that could be seen was my nose, eyes and a few strands of golden hair. I was shorter than Kyle now; this was before I hit my growth spurt in grade eight.

"Kenny?" Kyle walked into the bathroom looking nervous. "Is everything all right? You look really worried. Is this about the project? Don't worry, dude. We'll get an 'A' for sure." Young Kyle looked at me with such a joyous carefree expression. I ran forward and gave Kyle a bear hug.

"I love you. I love you so fucking much." I buried my head into Kyle's shoulder, not intending to let go. I didn't want this to end. I had Kyle with me and I didn't care what his sexuality was, I just wanted to let him know how much I cared.

Kyle pat me on the back awkwardly. "Ah…yeah. Thanks, Kenny." He managed to pull me away enough to see the tears in my eyes, again. "Aw, don't cry. I know that you have never gotten an 'A' but it's nothing to worry about…"

"I don't care about the grades. I want you Kyle. I know that you're straight and I don't care. I just want to be friends with you because if that's the one shot I have at being with you. I will godamn take it." I brushed the red hair out of my friend's eyes. "When I die, I don't want you to stop me. I want to die a billion times so that every time I see you, I will get a rush when you welcome me back. It will be all according to plan." I cupped his cheek and brushed the tears off my face. "I love you."

Kyle looked at me thoughtfully before laughing. "You're hilarious, Kenny. We really should finish working on i-". He didn't finish as I pressed my lips against his. I was just beginning to enjoy the kiss when it all disappeared.

Darkness.

Nothing.

My eyes opened and I realized that my head was on the hospital bed. I felt a hand slowly stroking my hair. I looked up to tell the nurse to fuck off when I realized that it was Kyle. I lifted my head abruptly and rubbed my eyes, praying it wasn't another dream. Kyle's eyes were half closed and the gauze on the side of head seemed to be a deeper red. "Hey Ken…" He said weakly. I nearly fell over in shock. I shouted his name and leaned inwards to hug him but remembering his current state, I forced myself to sit down. Kyle smiled at my effort. "You were out for two hours. I didn't know that you would actually stay for this long." He coughed and winced in pain.

It hurt to see my friend like this. I wet my lips and looked downwards. "Did…did you ever find out how the ball was moving so fast?"

Kyle nodded slowly and let out a sigh. "Yeah, the kid's mother came in about an hour and a half ago. Apparently, the kid and his friends were experimenting with a tennis ball shooter and a rocket launcher…"

"Those bastards." I murmured under my breath. I looked up with hopeful eyes. "What about your parents? Did they already see you?" Kyle looked at my sadly and shifted uncomfortable.

"Um…Kenny, my parents left for the weekend, remember?" I cursed under my breath. Of course, they had wanted a vacation to themselves and they said that this weekend they'd be in Florida. What a surprise they'll have when they return…

"What about Stan? He's your best friend, after all." I said coldly.

Kyle looked at me with a solemn expression. "They can't get a hold of him. I have you, Kenny. All I need right now is you, my best friend." He emphasized the words but I shook them off. How dare him for throwing that word around after the way he ignored me the past year. How dare him to imply that everything's been the same since grade seven. I could feel angry, hot tears start to build up again. My eyes were stinging from all the crying but it didn't matter.

"We're not best friends, Kyle. Best friends don't ignore the other for a year even when that other person tries to contact them. "My voice was laced with venom and although I tried to hide it, it seemed to come out in waves.

Kyle opened his mouth to say something when suddenly he gave a gasp and clutched the side of his head. "Oh…" I saw his eyes start to glaze over as if he were becoming sleepy. I stood up and tried to get the nurse but was stopped and forced down my Kyle's hand. "Kenny!" He said urgently. I shifted closer to him, holding his slightly shaky hand. "Don't get the nurse; this may be my one moment to tell you." He said quickly. I nodded and suddenly felt that puking feeling again. "Kenny, I didn't know you at all in grade four. But when Stan started to double book, I got to know the real you. You are the most gentle, caring and charismatic person I have ever met. When Stan wasn't there for me, you were. That is what friendship is all about. I'm lucky to have Stan as a friend, don't get me wrong, but he'll never take the place of you." He coughed into his hand and whimpered at the sight of blood staining his hand. I leaned forward but he raised his hand. "Kenny, you've been the greatest friend I could ever ask for. I tried to tell you in the park why I ignored you the past year. I was scared, Kenny. I was scared that society would reject me for being what my parents were against. I was so jealous of Stan, not for finding a girlfriend, but for finding someone who loves him back." I wiped the tears away from my blue eyes, trying to keep from crying all over him.

"Why did you take the hit for me? I die every day. I always come back." I managed to choke out. "It was supposed to go…according to plan." Why the fuck was this happening to Kyle? I should be the one in the hospital bed, not Kyle.

Kyle's jade eyes seemed to lose focus as he cupped my cheek, I placed my slightly dirty hand over top his. "I didn't know if you felt the same way. I didn't want to risk our friendship. I thought you would never see me in that light. I was too scared to tell you and especially during this past year, my feelings started to really get serious. Everyday I've waited to see some form of sign that told me you felt the same, but when I watched you hook up with girl after guy and I thought it was one-sided. I realize now how shitty I treated you in the past year and when I saw the ball hurling for your head, I stepped in front of it. I was planning on telling you in the park…" He fell back onto the bed, his eyes closing slowly. His hand moved from my cheek to my hood, pulling it down and exposing my messy blonde hair. He gave a small smile. "I always thought you looked nicer when I could see your handsome face."

"But why, Kyle? Why did you?" I pleaded, I was scared I wouldn't be able to keep it together and throw myself onto him. It took every ounce of my strength to keep me from pulling him out of the bed right them. I just wanted to take him far away from the hospital. Just him and me.

He whispered his response before he lost the gleam from his emerald eyes. I climbed onto the bed and pulled him into the biggest hug I could muster. The sound of the flat lining heart monitor was heard in the background. I pulled his lifeless body closer to my own, hoping that he would somehow be able to feel it. I should have told him how I felt. I should have let him know how special he was…**is** to me. I would visit him every day, with every death; I would be reminded of his sacrifice. I would be forever reminded of his last words which now burned a hole in my brain. The three simple words that I should have had the balls to say years ago:

_**I love you.**_


End file.
